Shuttle feeler guide



July 1 1947- I c. D. BROWN 2,424,019

SHUTTLE FEELER GUIDE Filed May 25, 1945 I 6 42 FIG.]

42 32 IO 28- 22 l8 l6 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. CARL D. BROWN ATTOR N E Y Patented July 15, 1947 SHUTTLE FEELER GUIDE Garl D. Brown, Hopedale, Mass, assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass, a corporation of Maine Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 536.923, May 23, 1944. This application May 23, 1945, Serial No. 595,272

Claims.

The present invention relates generally to automatic looms and, as illustrated herein, relates more particularly to shuttle feeler mechanism for such looms.

In automatic looms it is essential that the shuttle be very accurately positioned in the shuttle box before the transfer of :a new filling carrier takes place, If the shuttle is improperly positioned, improper transfers may result as, for example, the filling carriers being caught on one or two rings and in some cases being transferred entirely through the shuttle.

Various shuttle feeler mechanisms have heretofore been proposed and many have gone into extensive use and have operated satisfactorily under most conditions. In some cases, however, due for example, to excessive rebound, the shuttle feeler has engaged the side of the shuttle with the result that the shuttle feeler in its movement will be sprung and thus will inaccurately indicate the position of the shuttle. Thus, improper transfer of the filling carrier will result.

One object of the present invention, is to pro- Vide an improved construction wherein improper positioning of the shuttle prior to transfer is prevented. To this end, and in accordance with one feature of the invention, a guide member is provided which is arranged to engage the shuttle feeler to prevent springing thereof prior to trans fer of a, filling carrier. the shuttle feeler are so related that the shuttle feele will engage the guide member before the shuttle feeler engages the shuttle, Thus, if the shuttle is not quite properly positioned, the shuttle feeler may cam the shuttle into proper transferring position but, if the shuttle is substantially out of proper position, the shuttle feeler will be swung forwardly by the forwardly moving lay and thus prevent operation of the transfer mechanism.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. l is a plan View of a portion of the right hand end of a lay to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a View, partly in section, of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a. perspective view of the invention on a somewhat enlarged scale; and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line IVIV of Fig. 1.

The illustrated shuttle feeler i0 is of usual The guide member and construction and is normally held in an inoperative position and does not move into feeling position until just before a filling carrier is to be transferred. The shuttle feeler is connected to and operated by the transfer mechanism and is pivotally mounted on the loom frame in the usual manner.

The lay I2 is provided with a shuttle box of usual construction into and out of which a shuttle I6 is picked during operation of the loom. As illustrated, the shuttle box is provided with a front box plate IS, a back box plate 2% and a back box plate extension 22. The bottom of the shuttle box is formed by the metal lay end 25 which is provided with a slot (not shown)' through which filling carriers are ejected during the transferring operation.

The shuttle H5 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as being accurately positioned for the transfer of a filling carrier 26 which is supported in a shuttle spring 30. The shuttle has been Picked into the right hand box and the shuttle and picker check mechanism has operated properly to check the shuttle without rebound and the transferrer (not shown) and the shuttle feeler Iii have been cOnditioned for operation and the shuttle feele has moved into feeling position and engages the tip end of the shuttle spur 28. When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the parts are positioned to transfer a new filling carrier into the shuttle [6. The parts described above are of usual construction and are well known in the art and need not be further described herein.

As above stated, under some conditions the shuttle IE will not box properly and hence will be improperly positioned in the shuttle box. Such improper boxing may result either from rebounds of the shuttle or from other causes including weak picking actions. If the shuttle is improperly positioned, the shuttle feeler it! will engage the shuttle just prior to transfer of a new filling carrier and prevent operation of the transfer mechanism and will stop the loom. Under some conditions, however, the shuttle It may be positioned close to its proper position but with the tip end of the shuttle spur 28 located slightly to the left of the tip of the shuttle feeler I0. Under such conditions, the shuttle feeler ill may spring slightly to the left without, however, moving the shuttle l6 and the transfer mechanism will operate to transfer a new filling carrier into the shuttle. Such filling carrier may only be caught by one or two rings in the shuttle spring 30. As a result, the filling carrier may become loosened during operation of the loom and breakage of the loom or the warp threads may occur.

A roller guide 32 is provided which prevents springing of the shuttle feeler l and thus prevents improper transfer of the filling carriers. The roller guide 32 is mounted on a bracket 34 in the form of a shaped metal plate secured to the front of the lay l2 by a bolt 36. The bracket 34 is provided with a substantially horizontal shelf on which the roller guide 32 is mounted on a bearing member 38. tioned that the straight or substantially straight portion 40 of the shuttle feeler will engage the roller 32 before the tip of the feeler II) can engage the tip of the shuttle I6. Thus, springing of the shuttle feeler II] to the left by the camming action of the rounded and inclined. end of the shuttle I6 is prevented. On the other hand, the shuttle l 6 itself may be cammed into proper position for transfer thus preventin undesired stopping of the loom because of failure of the loom to replace and eject a filling carrier on which the filling is substantially exhausted.

The present guide is effectively arranged to prevent a filling thread from being caught and broken. To this end, a wire guide or protector member 49 is fixed at one end to the top of the bearing member 38 by welding or the like. The wire then extends forwardly and upwardly and is then bent rearwardly and downwardly toward the guide roller 32. The wire thence extends downwardly and forwardly to a point somewhat below the bolt 36 and then is reversely bent and terminates at the fiat portion of the bracket 34 to which it is secured by welding or other suitable means. With this wire, it is impossible for a filling thread, for example, to be caught beneath the roller guide 32 or any part thereof. Thus breakage of filling threads is effectively prevented.

This application is a refile for abandoned application Serial No. 536,923, filed May 23, 1944.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, a shuttle movable along said lay into and out of said shuttle box, springable means operating at predetermined intervals to gauge the position of the shuttle in said shuttle box; a bracket secured to the front face of said lay, said bracket having a downwardly extending portion engaging the front of said lay and an upper portion extending backwardly over the top of said lay, and a roller mounted on said upper portion on said bracket, said roller engaging and supporting said gauging means against lateral movement.

2. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, a shuttle movable along said lay into and out of said shuttle box, springable means operating in a straight line substantially forward and backward at pre-determined intervals to gauge the position of the shuttle in the shuttle box; a bracket secured to the front of said lay and adjustable longitudinally thereof, said bracket having a portion extending downwardly and engaging the front of said lay and an upper portion extending backwardly over the top of said lay, a roller mounted on said upper portion of said bracket, engaging said springable gauging means on the side opposite the shuttle and supporting said gauging means against lateral springing displacement.

The roller 32 is so posi 3. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, a shuttle having an automatically replaceable filling carrier therein, a springable shuttle feeler movable forwardly and backwardly substantially in a straight line and operable to stop the loom upon engagement with the shuttle when the shuttle is improperly positioned in the shuttle box just, prior to replacing a filling carrier; a bracket mounted on the front of said lay having a portion engaging the front of said lay and an upper portion extending over the top of said lay, a roller substantially opposite said shuttle on said upper portion of said bracket for engaging said springable shuttle feeler, and preventing inward displacement thereof when said shuttle feeler engages the tip end of the shuttle.

4. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, a shuttle having an automatically replaceable filling carrier therein, a springable shuttle feeler operable to stop the loom upon engagement with the shuttle when the shuttle is improperly positioned in the shuttle box just prior to replacing a filling carrier; a bracket adjustably fixed to the front face of said lay inwardly of the inner end of the shuttle box, said bracket having a portion extending downwardly in engagement with the front face of said lay and an upper portion extending over the top of said lay, and a roller mounted on said upper portion of said bracket for preventing inward springing displacement of said shuttle feeler when said shuttle feeler engages the tip end of said shuttle, and a reversely bent wire on said bracket for preventing a filling thread from entering under said roller from the front side thereof.

5. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, a shuttle having an automatically replaceable filling carrier therein, a springable shuttle feeler operable to stop the loom upon engagement with the shuttle when the shuttle is improperly positioned in the shuttle box just prior to replacing a filling carrier, a bracket fixed to the front face of said lay inwardly of the inner end of the shuttle box, said bracket having a. portion provided with an opening extending downwardly in engagement with the front face of said lay, and a cap screw extending through said opening and said lay adjustably securing said bracket to said lay and an upper portion on said bracket extending over the top of said lay, a roller pivotally mounted on said upper portion of said bracket and arranged to be engaged by said shuttle feeler for preventing inward springing displacement thereof when said feeler engages the tip end of said shuttle, and a reversely bent wire between said bracket and the top of said roller for preventing a filling thread from entering under said roller from the front side thereof.

CARL D. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 827,937 ODonnell Aug. 7, 1906 1,259,667 Regan et al Mar, 19, 1918 1,323,186 Hebert Nov. 25, 1919 1,488,137 Stafford Mar. 25, 1924 

